Tiny Steps
by Izzu
Summary: Post Season 4. Follow up to Secrets. Shaping the current Camelot into the image of Albion that united the Old and New Religion will not be easy. Yet, it would not hurt to start moving things around one step at a time.
1. Chapter 1

az: Randomly, I wonder if I should regret starting to write fics on this fandom. XP. Updates gonna be sporadic, I guess. Random plots would still be posted under Oddly Botkins but this particular set would be the extension of the Reveal plot as well as the Revival of Magic plot. Timeline in here would be similar to Oddly in the manner that one chapter may not happen directly after the previous ones.

End up getting this muse in the middle of making new chapter for Oddly.

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><p><span>Tiny Steps<span>

Written by Izzu alias honou-no-izumi

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"Merlin... _sit_ down."

Merlin looked down towards Arthur, who had been sitting at the dining table with his lunch and several scrolls and parchments at his side. He tried his best not to look overly patronizing at such bad habits, of Arthur trying to do two things at once. He took the chair right beside the king as Arthur handed him a scroll.

"Read it, tell me what you think. Though I supposed you might want to reword everything up to perfection—since you're always tend to nitpick and you _always_ do—but _you_ know, that's the reason I've always end up needing your aid to write my speeches, right?"

Merlin turned to stare at Arthur warily to try to see if Arthur was serious or joking before turning his attention towards the scroll on his hand.

Arthur paused from munching on his drumsticks as he tried to read Merlin's reaction to the content of the scroll. When a hint of a smile _gradually_ lifted from the corner of his lips, Arthur heaved a sigh of relief.

It meant that he had done something right—at first try after all—considering this was something he had thought out all on his own. He had not asked for help from anyone... not even Merlin, since he wanted this to be a sort of gift to his friend—one of the many things to come—and hoped he did it well.

Merlin looked up towards Arthur. "Arthur... this was great—I mean...," Arthur grinned over the tell-tale signs of Merlin being excited as the young warlock frowned slightly, "—you're right, I _do_ need to fix some of the things written here... but honestly, this was great! This move may not be so big, yet... it's a good start. It's the first step towards reaching the dream of Albion after all."

Arthur turned his eyes away from Merlin's as he tried not to appear too flustered. Honestly Merlin, could he not appear very _proud_ of him as if he had done something _really_ great? But it _was_ a great move... and decision, a first step towards opening up towards magic and removing the hostility towards the good and the innocents. After all, he had learnt that not all who had magic seek to do evil. While some still do, he would not make the same mistake as his father to turn all who could have been a good ally for Camelot into an enemy he would rather _not_ have. Morgana and Mordred were more than enough for them. There have been enough sacrifices made, no need to add more.

While the move to rewrite the laws over magic in this kingdom might be slow in undertaking, at least... by discontinuing those bounties for any single magical persons or creatures to be brought to Camelot and killed, things might just start to change. For the better.

Of course, people who used magic for the wrong reason would still be arrested and punished—but at least this time, there would be a trial to judge their actions to see if the punishment befits the crime. It would be as fair as any trial that would be given to any other citizen in Camelot who had done something wrong.

It might not be enough... yet—considering the notoriety of the Great Purge as well as the things his father had done—like Merlin said, it _was_ a great move. And hopefully, this would be a mission that he could complete in his lifetime. There were still a lot of things to do, a lot to accomplish.

He did not want Morgana or Mordred to interfere with this in favour of their own agenda—as _righteous_ as they might want to believe their cause is—because one extremity does not make another _right_.

Arthur shoved his other plate—still full of assorted number of dishes, untouched and uneaten—towards Merlin as his friend stared at him in confusion.

"Eat up, I doubt you've managed to eat a proper breakfast this morning or even a proper _lunch_. I don't want to have my _future_ Court _Advisor_ to be so skinny and _underfed_." Arthur tried to appear unaffected by the look Merlin was giving him. "Of course..._ if_ I wanted such person in my court. Though by then, _that_ person should have been able to get his _own_ proper meals."

Merlin stared at him suspiciously. "Advisor... eh? Not some other title with some _magical_ effect?" he asked as Arthur made some secretive gestures... even though it was only the two of them inside the hall.

"It's a start. That was _still_ a promotion, you know. I can't have you remained being my _manservant_ even when it would start to be more obvious that I'd be needing your constant presence and wisdom during many more i_mportant_ matters in the future. I can't _openly_ do that if you're still a servant in the eyes of many. About time you getting all the credits you deserved. Let's talk about _magic_ once the kingdom became less hostile to it," he said as Merlin nodded.

Arthur stared towards Merlin. As much as he tried to make the situation _sound_ much more _solemn_ and serious, it seemed the effect was lost... seeing that wide grin on Merlin's face now. Arthur sighed to himself before smiling. He wondered if this decision was made for the good of the kingdom, or just for the sake of seeing that smile on Merlin's face. He shook his head before turning his attention to his lunch.

_Ah..._

_Don't think about it too much..._


	2. Chapter 2

az: Finally. Had a whole day unable to login.

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><p><span>Tiny Steps<span>

Written by Izzu alias honou-no-izumi

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Merlin knocked gently before entering Gwen's chamber, noticing that her maidservant, Martha had gone out. He let out a relieved sigh. Good, at least this should be a good chance to properly talk about things without being interrupted.

"Gwen? May I come in?" he asked as Gwen ushered him in with a smile.

"What's the matter... Merlin? Did Arthur sent you?"

Merlin shook his head. "No. Gwen, I... there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Guinevere turned her attention towards Merlin and ushered him to sit beside her. "What is it? You seemed troubled..." she said.

Merlin let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah... I am." He took a long intake of air before turning towards her.

"Gwen... I wanted to ask you first, what do you think about magic?" Guinevere stared at him in confusion as Merlin added to clarify. "I mean... do you hate it, _despised_ it... feared it... think it was all evil—That sort of things..."

"Oh..." gasped Guinevere, finally understanding before shrugging. "I don't know? While some may be bad and evil and used magic for hurting others... I can't help but think that there must be other people with magic that was _good_ and kind. Like the druids who saved Sir Leon that other time. Or whoever it was that healed my father, back during that time with the strange plague."

Guinevere glanced to Merlin in confusion. "But why did you asked me this?" she asked as Merlin gave her a weak smile.

"Because... I'd like to ask you for your support to Arthur over the many things Arthur might decide to do in future regarding magic. I'm not sure of what... for now, but currently he was trying to abolish the bounties on anything and anyone with magic so that they would not have to be hunted and slaughtered like animals." He sighed. "It was still a long way to go but hopefully, by slowly trying to change the stand of the kingdom regarding magic... we would be able to live in peace with each other, magical or not. Would that have been better?"

Guinevere slowly smiled at him before holding his hand. "Of course I would, if it meant we all would be able to live more peacefully. Although it might be hard to do, seeing that we have seen so many bad things caused by magic upon this kingdom... but I agree that this was a good decision." She bit her lips. "I for one would rather see no more pyres and beheadings of innocent people—whether they were magic or not—when they did no harm on others. It was unjust... and cruel, and I do not want to see any more parents or children to suffer the losses of their loved ones in such a way."

Merlin nodded. "Thank you, Gwen. I'm glad to have your support. I just wished... we had been able to do this _much earlier_. Then perhaps... we might still have Morgana as our friend. And we might as well have prevented many unfortunate lives from being lost."

He turned towards Guinevere to see her staring towards nothing, deep in thought. She must have been thinking about her late father, Morgana... and many other mishap she had faced in the past.

"I wonder... Morgana must have been so scared back then. All those nightmares of hers and her own magic, it must have been scary to live in here and not letting anyone know. It was unfortunate that she had strayed so far now... she no longer considered us as her friend." Guinevere turned to him. "I missed her... occasionally. I missed her old self. I bet Arthur missed the old her as well."

Merlin shrugged. "I missed her too. Even now... I feel sad for her. I understand her feelings... and Uther's opinion about magic as well as his treatment of her as no more than a ward rather than his true daughter—that must have hurt deeply. It was scary to be in that situation—feeling as if the power that grew inside herself was anything but bad and having no one to be their pillar of support. Anyone in that position would have retaliated out in fear and succumb into the wrong path..." He sighed. "I wished to see no more of that."

Guinevere nodded. "I agree... though right now, I wonder about _you_, Merlin. I started to feel that this was _not_ just a request to help Arthur... this matter was as important to _you_ as to the kingdom. Is there something wrong... Merlin?" she asked worriedly.

Merlin bit his lips. This was the moment. The moment he would once more open up his secret towards another. It had been good with Lancelot... and a slight bit tricky with Arthur—but he knew Gwen much closer than the two and knew that Gwen would not reacted to this severely. Yet a part of him still feared the opposite—it would hurt so much, if Gwen was to reject him. Gwen had been one of his closest friend... losing her would feel as bad as losing Will... and Freya... and Morgana. He brushed the thoughts away before steeling himself towards Gwen.

"Gwen... you're right. It _was_ important to me... as well as those others with magic who would be affected by this. Because Gwen... I _too_ have magic. I had it for a very long time already. I kept it a secret... while all along watching over everyone and protecting them from the shadows. The many things in the past that happened where it seemed that Camelot or Arthur or _you_ or anyone had been saved by sheer luck—that was _me_ all along. Well, _most_ of the time. That had all been possible because of my magic."

Merlin took a long pause to let it all sink in before adding. "So it _was_ really important for my sake and everyone else like me that Arthur took this first step in an attempt to change Camelot's stand against magic as a whole."

Merlin continued looking at Guinevere straight in the eye as he waited for her reaction. To accept... or reject the truth of what he is. What he had always been. He closed his eyes as he braced himself for the worst possible reaction. The very same reaction he had half-dreaded, coming from Arthur had he revealed his truth to his friend in a different way—that did not include risking his own life to save the other. Without warning, Guinevere embraced him tightly as Merlin gasped. She chuckled as Merlin stared at her, puzzled.

Gwen smiled. "Finally you said it aloud! I always _knew_ there was something special about you. _Especially_ during that time when we encountered that Lamia!" she said as Merlin suddenly broke into tears. He laughed as he tried to hastily wipe the tears away. She gave him a knowing look.

"You think that I'd reject you?" she asked as Merlin shrugged. She shook her head as she pulled Merlin closer to her side. "I could _never_ do that to you, not after everything I've seen you do for us all. I've seen how loyal you've been to Arthur, how you've tried your best to protect everyone _dear_ to you... I've known you far too well to know the real you inside." She shrugged. "Well... not as well as Arthur would...", she added as Merlin grinned.

"I would _definitely_ be there to support you and Arthur in everything both of you decided to do. You don't have to worry about that. Even knowing that you have magic won't change that. After all, haven't you been watching and protecting us all these times?"

Merlin smiled again. "Thank you, Gwen. I'm glad to have you as my friend."

xxx

Arthur let out the breath he never realized he had been holding in relief. That was his queen... ever as loving and reliable.

He had been... _slightly_ worried when he caught sight of Merlin being all nervous before entering Guinevere's chambers. He could sense that it must have been something terribly important to make him so nervous. Because of that, he had tried to sneak up on them to see what was wrong. When Merlin asked Guinevere if she would support them he was _slightly_ shocked—Guinevere was unlikely to not want to support his decision for Camelot if it was for the good of the kingdom—but then realized that the inquiry was not about Arthur, but _him_. Thus... he was glad for the answer Guinevere had given to his friend.

He closed the door slowly behind him before walking towards his own chambers—barely catching the softly spoken chatter between the two as Guinevere an Merlin talked about the old times. Arthur smiled as he plotted for many other things that he should do from now on. They gained another ally to their cause, suddenly he felt something warm simmering from inside of his heart.

Perhaps it was not as bad as he thought it could be.


	3. Chapter 3

az: Got distracted with Doctor Who. XP. Well, in between making a ficlet for that I managed to finish this... though I really need to start on that muse for oddly...

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><p><span>Tiny Steps<span>

Written by Izzu alias honou-no-izumi

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Ever since this morning, the citadel and the lower towns have been abuzz with gossips and chatter. As he predicted, there was a lot of reactions arising from Arthur's sudden announcement. Thankfully, there were not that much panic amongst the people. While some were still fearful about the king's decision, some of the people had supported Arthur in making that decree.

Then again, Merlin was not that surprised to find _that_ out. Some of those who had supported Arthur's decision were those who have been on good terms with the druids and others... being the few people that Alice had treated in the past as well as the more level-headed people who saw the sence in taking that stand. In a way, he was a bit thankful. It was good to know that not all of the people of Camelot were being excessively distrustful against people with magic. Not sure about the rest...

Regardless, he was glad that none of the people reacted very badly to the point they might want Arthur to step down the throne as the king of Camelot. Perhaps, that moment where he had gathered everyone to witness Arthur pulling Excalibur out were still afresh in their minds... thus allowing them to have faith on Arthur in deciding the future of Camelot.

Or just _maybe_... it was all thanks to his great skill in writing Arthur's speech that managed to convince everyone. That was a nice thought...

Merlin jumped as a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder before puling him aside in a partial embrace. He cried out before turning to find Gwaine grinning at him.

"Gwaine! You almost gave me a heart attack!" he exclaimed as the knight chuckled at him.

"You seemed to be in a good mood," said Gwaine as Merlin stared at him pointedly. "Though I'm not really sure why... was this about the decree Arthur just made today?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You think? You don't like it?"

Gwaine shrugged. "Not quite. After all... I've had my shares of meeting some decent people who used magic back then. I understand the need to protect those people from injustice, especially when they did not do anything wrong to others. Though I can't really say much here, Camelot seemed to have a habit to attract a lot of _bad_ magical people. But you have to blame that on the _old_ king..."

Merlin smiled weakly before another thought crossed his mind.

"Err... Gwaine? Supposed you have a _friend_ you knew for a long time suddenly reveal to you that they had magic; that they've kept it a secret from you in order to continue to protect you, what would you do?"

Gwaine blinked before staring at Merlin curiously. "Merlin...? Are you trying to imply something there?"

Merlin smiled nervously. "I just said... _supposedly_..."

Gwaine frowned before shrugging. "Well... it might come as a shock, yes... but if that friend was someone I _know_ very well, I'd probably be able to accept them. I _mean_... if they had been watching my back all these times after all."

He gave Merlin a _look_ before chuckling softly. "Like say... if _you_ had magic, I'd probably find it _amusing_ instead of being wary. Imagine what we can _do_ with it... we can make pranks on Arthur... Leon... Elyan or Percival... that would be so fun!"

Merlin gave Gwaine a weird look as he tried _not_ to appear _too_ amused. Perhaps he _would_ let Gwaine in on his secret _much_ later. Who knows what mischief he would get himself into—Gwaine started to feel similar to Will after all—yeah! Arthur would not have liked it otherwise.

Though knowing that Gwaine might not react too badly on his secret, that was a comfort. But who knows what he thinks if he knew that Dragoon and him was literally the same person. Merlin thought of that encounter at the woods...

Ah, knowing Gwaine he might find that to be all too deserving. Who asked them to gang up on one innocent_ old_ man when he did nothing to provoke them. Merlin grinned, he would think about that later when the time finally came for explanations.

"Gwaine... you're ridiculous! If I had magic, I won't let you use it like a new toy to make pranks on people!"

Gwaine laughed. "Well... I _tried_ at least..."


End file.
